Imagine you have been tasked with the job of creating a school store to serve our school community. Work with your team to brain storm a to do list.
Consider the following questions:
- Who are your customers?
- What needs and wants do they have?
- What products can address those needs and wants?
- Where can you get those products?
- What will you need to keep track of and how will you do this?
- What tasks need to be done?
- What kinds of jobs will you have in running the store?
- What kinds of skills are necessary?
Once you have a basic idea for how to run the school store, your next job is to figure out your inventory.
Once you have an idea for how things are going to run, and what you will offer, you need to consider what individuals who work at the store are responsible for and how you are going to inform the public of what you have to offer.
School Store Personnel
The skills required to work in the school store are similar to skills any generic retail worker needs. They include:
- Be kind, considerate and patient with customers
- Communicate clearly and be assertive
- Think quickly, do mental math calculations and keep your eyes open.
Working at the school store is part of what our class does. Each person works a two week stretch. Shift starts at 7:45. I understand some people may have circumstances that make them unable to work at the school store.
School Store Marketing
STEP 1 – The first step starts out by asking, “Who is my target market?” Your “target market” is the people you hope to sell to. Once you have narrowed this down then it’s easier to craft a message to that market.
Every successful business has a target market whether they know it or not. For example, the local dry cleaner has a target market, which is probably all the professional people living within a five mile radius of their store.
STEP 2 – The second step starts by asking, “What needs does my target market have?”, “What problems do they encounter from day to day?” Consider the needs and wants of your target market. Identify the problems that your target market experiences.
Problems come in all forms and can include things like hunger, choice, convenience and accessibility.
STEP 3 – The third step starts by asking, “What solution(s) can I offer?” Consider possible all of the possible ways you can meet the needs or solve the problems of your target market. Some solutions you come up with will be easy to implement, others will take more thought and planning.
Present your solution as a simple solution to your market’s problem.
Finally, identify the benefits of your solution and how those benefits will improve the life of your potential customer.
